Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of keys; accessories therefore/key safes, namely CPC E05B19/0005, CPC E05B49/00, CPC G07C9/00103, CPC G07C9/00309, CPC G07C9/00174.
The Problem to be Solved
There are two types of lockboxes: ones that are accessible only to real estate agents, and ones that are accessible to users. Problem at issue relates to a lockbox accessible to users so the following discussion only follows the development of such lockboxes.
Lockboxes have been developed with the sole purpose of providing access to locked premises that are unattended. Lockboxes contain a secured storage area for a key to a locked property, allowing access to authorized users. The locked property can be a home, or any other kind of property that is locked by a lock that requires a key. For mechanical lockboxes, users may be required to enter the correct combination password in order unlock the lockbox and gain access to the property.
Conventional electronic lockboxes have allowed users to communicate credentials to the lockbox by physically connecting to the lockbox via a wireless connection either provided by or in conjunction with the user's cell phone or via a local wireless network. Users have been required to communicate credentials attributed to the user's cell phone or other access device capable of providing such credentials. The electronic lockboxes have been able to connect wirelessly via short range wireless connections such as IrDA by using infrared signals generated by the user's access device as well as far field connections such as RF, Bluetooth, WIFI, etc. There has been a range of problems depending on the nature of the wireless connection. With shorter ranged connections, there are often concerns about batteries due to excessive power drainage when performing such connections or when the lockbox needs to wake from a sleep mode periodically to check for the availability of a user's cell phone. With the IrDA connection specifically, there is the concern of the line of sight alignment that is often inconvenient. With longer ranged connections, there are issues with security such as interference and the difficulty in addressing the desired lockbox among multiple lockboxes located in close proximity.